Author on her unpleasant experiences with the two social media platforms
A few months ago, when Rahul Gandhi was going whole hog with his war cry “Chowkidar Chor Hai”, I had posted on Twitter – Rajiv Gandhi Chor Hai aur Maut Ka Saudagar bhi hai. Immediately, Twitter blocked me with a message saying that I should delete the tweet if I need to get my account restored. I refused to delete the tweet and the story ends there.
A few days ago, I posted a picture of a banner put up by a real estate agent, that read “Only Muslim Renters”. In the media, we get to see reports of only “discrimination meted out by Hindu fanatics on poor Muslims”. The media’s narrative has always been Hindu fanatics versus Muslim victims and the do-gooders being the Left-liberals. I expected my post to be well-received. I wanted to show the media the mirror. But much to my chagrin, though the post got shared widely, its circulation was slow. Later, Facebook “blocked” my account “for 24 hours”.
The social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter do not offer a level-playing field. While LeLis (Left-Liberals) and jihadi trolls have a field day, only nationalists and Modi-supporters are punished.
So how does such a post get blocked? They tell me that my post does not circumscribe to their ‘community standards’. So what exactly are their community standards?
Among the millions of posts how does FB decide what its community standards are?
For example, how does a post stating that Muslims cannot find rental places in Hindu residential areas not go against FB’s community standards? It was shared widely and still continues to make the news despite no flexes seen stating ‘Only Hindus Renters’.
But if a Muslim puts out a flex saying Only Muslim tenants (which means no Hindus can get a home in that area on rent) and I share this overt racism… or this overt attempt to create No Go Zones by Islamist Terror groups… It goes against FB’s Community Standards?
Facebook did not block people who shared that Muslim victimhood farce when a young Muslim woman claimed that she was not getting accommodation in Bengaluru because of her religion. So why did they block me for simply sharing a picture that was already doing its rounds on FB?
Does FB mean to say that if a Muslim says that they will rent out or sell their property only to other Muslims it is his/her right but a Hindu cannot choose who he or she wishes to sell or rent their property to?
Is FB telling me that because my ancestors were courageous enough to remain Hindu instead of choosing the easy way out, I must be penalised? That my rights to freedom of speech and Freedom to use my property as I wish within the laws of my own country doesn’t exist just because I am a Hindu?
If the answer is Yes… to the 2 questions above… then is not FB discriminatory to Hindus?
Most of us Hindus join FB and Twitter under the assumption that it is a democratic and secular social media platform. But we very soon find out that FB’s and Twitter’s community standards are extremely lopsided, heavily tilted in favour of non-Hindus.
Pages and posts humiliating Hinduism, Hindus and Hindu Gods do not seem to violate FB’s Community standards despite a number of us notifying FB about this religious intolerance by followers of Abrahamic religions and Communists.
However, should a Hindu, frustrated and hurt by the constant overt and covert insults heaped on us for being Hindu, point out the faultlines in Abrahamic religions, FB and Twitter will immediately block the Hindu.
What kind of FB/Twitter democracy is this? Where is the so gushed about FB/Twitter secularism here?
I request FB/Twitter to come out in the open and state ….
That yours is a platform that only pays lip service to the term equality for all…
That Muslims and Christians are more equal than others…
That you only want Hindus on FB/Twitter because there is one billion of us and that means huge business for you.
Speak the truth and be done with it. Instead of hiding behind a whore’s treacherous petticoat quoting liberty, fraternity and equality.
To our Central Government and to our brilliant Software Engineers and Business Tycoons … I request… Please create a Social Media Space for Indians. It is the need of the hour. The Chinese have their own FB and Twitter…. Why can’t we?
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